Alana Allison

The live brief to ‘redesign the first level of the Ultimo Billy Blue Campus’ was a professional real life project with a $100,000 budget outlined by the client (Torrens University). 

 

As a student of the campus myself, reflecting on experiences in the space and interviewing existing staff and students resulted in a holistic understanding of the site i.e. what worked and what needed replacing. The final design solution was centred around the students by considering their overall health and wellbeing and how spaces can affect their everyday campus experience. In response to the student feedback, additional study space was created with a combination of private study nooks and large collaborative study tables that are flexible and can be reconfigured to cater for different needs such as large events. 

 

An eye catching welcome desk design was crucial in leaving a lasting impression for visitors and potential future students. The unique way-finding sculpture-like system is a visual, fun and easy to follow map to help find your way around campus. Integrating the new Torrens University branding into the space via signage and orange feature walls created a strong campus identity and seamlessly tied the new space into the old.

 

Reusing and combining two existing study pods to make a large, segregated mindfulness pod created a space for students to chill out, de-stress and relax. Investigative research was undertaken to determine what makes a successful mindful space and as a result, natural light, greenery, meditative music, soft furnishings and privacy were incorporated into the space. The intent behind this space was to ensure students have a healthy mindset and enjoy their campus experience, in turn enabling them to produce their best work. 

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Skills Used: Google SketchUp